Maintenance, Repair and Operations Feature Library

Operations Engineer's library catalogues editorial features going back five years.

Access to all archive material is free to all, including non-members of IPlantE (the Institution of Operations Engineers) or BES (Bureau of Engineer Surveyors), under the umbrella of SOE (Society of Operations Engineers). However, to discover the many benefits of becoming an SOE member, please click here.

18/03/2025 Positive vibrations Chris Ryan, a senior technical expert in plant reliability techniques, explains to Louise Davis how vibration analysis is a hugely useful monitoring tool – but that its value depends on the availability of professionally trained personnel » Read More

25/06/2021 Learning how to interpret a vibration signal from rotating machinery Vibration analysis is a powerful way of looking at rotating machinery, not just for one-off diagnosis of a problem but for ongoing machine condition monitoring. There are recognised routes to learn how to do this. By Toby Clark » Read More

06/04/2020 Sight sensing Motion amplification is a powerful technique for visualising vibration and other motion in mechanical systems, which can lead to rapid diagnosis of potential problems » Read More

23/03/2020 Hidden gems Vibration sensors can monitor the health of different assets, including motors, pumps, compressors and fans. These small, low-cost devices can be a godsend to operators by highlighting potential catastrophic failure via data » Read More

08/01/2020 Shaking things up Some analysis tools promise to automate the interpretation of vibration signals to extend the job of collecting data to unskilled trades, instead of just trained experts. OE explores how they work » Read More

07/03/2019 Getting the shakes Vibration signals can identify the condition of a machine’s balance, lubrication, bearings and gears » Read More

04/01/2019 Exposed to vibration Workers that frequently use hand-held power tools can become exposed to hand-arm vibration. However, this potentially disabling problem can be reduced and eliminated through different ways of working » Read More

11/02/2013 Maintenance expo With Maintec 2013 just a few short weeks away, Brian Tinham previews this show, specifically designed for maintenance technicians and engineering managers » Read More

05/10/2012 Good acoustics? It's a poor workman that blames his tools, goes the proverb. But on machinery condition monitoring, it's been understandable. However, all of that is about to change, writes Brian Tinham » Read More

09/02/2011 No Crystal Ball A wide range of tools and techniques is now available to ease the task of predicting when and what maintenance is required on machines and plant units. Steed Webzell reports » Read More

01/08/2007 Replace or recondition? Reconditioning large roller bearings can save a great deal of time and money - and result in at least as good a job as installing new. And that applies even on critical machinery that could seriously impact plant availability. Sounds ... » Read More